The Chase

"From where does the benefactor speak?" Master Changxin was visibly flustered, yet he still refused to admit it.

This guy really wouldn't give up until he saw the Yellow River!

"Master Changxin, the death of Master Yongyan is also quite suspicious, isn't it?" Chen Wu continued to add fuel to the fire. "I have already asked Master Yongyan's youngest son, and he told me everything."

"Told you what?"

"Must I spell it out? That day, when Master Yongyan arrived at his home, you, Master Changxin, followed him secretly and gave him a package. Upon inspection later, it turned out to be nothing but potent aphrodisiacs."

"Master Yongyan was no longer young, yet you sent him such medicine—you were truly hoping for him to die sooner!" Chen Wu spoke faster and faster.

"Stop it, stop it!" Master Changxin's face collapsed.

"Hahaha—" Chen Wu couldn't help but laugh out loud. "But I have one point of confusion: why did Master Yongyan ask you to deliver the medicine instead of his own disciples?"

"Hmph—" A look of resentment appeared on Changxin's face. "That old lecherous monk always pretended to be a high-ranking master in front of his disciples, and many pilgrims and believers were deceived by him."

"He only looked down on me because my master passed away early, leaving me without roots or backing, so he thought he could manipulate me into doing his dirty work."

Even now, he was still feigning innocence, and Chen Wu couldn't help but feel contempt. "Master, the way you say it, it sounds as if you didn't reap any benefits yourself. It was precisely because you performed these dark deeds for the Abbot that he repeatedly promoted you, making you the Head of the Discipline Hall and allowing you to accumulate prestige."

"When you were promoted to Head of the Discipline Hall, I don't recall you being unwilling, Master Changxin!"

Chen Wu, his face covered, spoke with a mocking, sarcastic tone, and Changxin could no longer hold his composure. "Is this all you came here in the middle of the night to say to this poor monk?"

"There isn't much of a clean place left in this Lingshan Temple, and I don't have the kindness to clean it up for you." Chen Wu shook his head. "There is only one thing: regarding yesterday's assassination, are you aware of it, Master Changxin?"

"Amitabha!" Master Changxin's expression changed, suddenly appearing quite solemn. "Benefactor, you actually came for this?"

"Exactly!"

"Then I advise you not to pursue it!" Changxin said. "There is no benefit in speaking more of this; do not bring disaster upon yourself, benefactor."

"I have already brought a massive disaster upon myself! A few more won't make a difference!" Chen Wu replied.

Upon hearing this, Changxin asked in surprise, "Who are you?"

"Chen Wu of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower, that is who—"

"The Jade-Faced Killing God!"

Wu Ze, the Chief Constable of Yan'an Prefecture, felt a splitting headache. The mere thought of such a formidable figure stirring up trouble on his turf made him feel like his luck had run dry.

Wu Ze was already old and had long since abandoned any ambition for advancement; he only wanted to live out his remaining years in peace and quiet at home. Yet, fate was unkind, and the very thing he feared most had arrived!

"Chief Constable, I think this is a golden opportunity!" a young constable said with great enthusiasm. "If we capture this Jade-Faced Killing God, it would be a heaven-sent merit!"

Looking at this young man, whose eyes were filled with nothing but ambition, Wu Ze shook his head, as if seeing himself from decades ago.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Since this Chen Wu committed crimes in Jincheng Prefecture and came to our Yan'an Prefecture to kill, he must have come from the west." The young man seemed confident. "Furthermore, the election of the Abbot is a grand event for the Buddhist faith, not a simple matter of choosing a head; it involves many complex rituals. For Chen Wu to mix in silently without revealing any flaws, he must be familiar with Buddhist affairs."

"We can start from these two angles!"

"Well said!" Wu Ze nodded. "But we must be quick!"

"I have already conducted a sweep yesterday and narrowed down a few suspects. Today, I need the Chief Constable to allocate manpower. This Chen Wu is highly skilled in martial arts; he won't be caught easily."

"Very well—" Wu Ze took out his token. "Take my token and mobilize the men."

"Any experts in Yan'an Prefecture on the imperial payroll below the sixth rank are at your disposal. For anyone above the sixth rank, I will go and invite them myself!"

"Thank you, Chief Constable!"

The young constable took the token and immediately went to arrange the manpower.

"Li Zheng!"

Wu Ze suddenly called out to stop the young constable. Li Zheng paused and bowed in response.

"This Chen Wu has killed so many high-ranking officials; there is no guarantee there isn't a deeper story." Wu Ze said. "Do you know? Sometimes, merit can be too hot to handle!"

"Thank you for your concern, Chief Constable." Li Zheng smiled brightly upon hearing this. "Although my surname is Li, I am not of the Imperial clan. If I want to get ahead, I cannot let any merit slip by. Whether it is too hot to handle or not, I cannot afford to care."

Truly a young man, Wu Ze shook his head. "Go on!"

Chen Wu left the Abbot's quarters and, without a moment's delay, headed straight for a residence in the southeast of the prefecture city.

According to Abbot Changxin, the assassin had approached him ten days prior, produced a token, and demanded that Changxin cooperate with his actions.

Changxin had not dared to ask about the man's specific identity, only noting that the token belonged to the Wude Palace, and he feared it was deeply connected to that institution.

Not daring to refuse, Abbot Changxin had tacitly allowed the man to proceed, never expecting that he intended to assassinate the Grand Patriarch.

After the Grand Patriarch died, Changxin feared he would be held responsible and, terrified of being implicated in something monumental, had covered the matter up.

By now, Chen Wu already knew that the Wude Palace was the army academy of the Great Shun, while the Sea-Pacifying Palace was the naval academy; the two institutions were rivals, each with their own factions.

The Wude Palace primarily supported the School of Heavenly Principle, while the Sea-Pacifying Palace was the stronghold of the Investigation of Things School.

That the Wude Palace would actually direct someone to assassinate the Grand Patriarch made the situation explosive.

This was clearly a political assassination. When he returned, he would have to ask Old Liu what political views the Grand Patriarch held. An act as violent as an assassination must have touched upon the fundamental interests of certain people.

We've arrived!

This residence was the place Master Changxin had spoken of; it was here that he had first laid eyes on the assassin.

The only cause for concern was that the assassin had fled immediately after the attempt, leaving Chen Wu in a bind. After all, the world was vast, and he had no way of guessing where the assassin might have escaped to.

"The guy didn't run—" Seeing the inner courtyard brightly lit, Li Zheng felt a surge of excitement; Heaven was granting him this great achievement!

"Move!"

With a wave of Li Zheng's hand, over a dozen experts of the Fifth Realm or higher, armed with muskets, clad in breastplates, and carrying various weapons, infiltrated from all directions.

Bang—

From afar, Chen Wu heard the sound of a gunshot!

What was going on?

Someone had arrived!

Just as he was filled with suspicion, a figure vaulted out from the courtyard. Even in the dead of night, Chen Wu could still see the man's face—it was the assassin!

He was now wearing a corrugated hat to hide his conspicuous bald head, but his face was deathly pale; he was clearly wounded.

A group of men followed closely behind, leaping in pursuit.

Bang—bang—bang—

Several more gunshots rang out!

The assassin staggered before continuing his flight; it seemed one of the shots had hit home, as even the assassin's exceptional movement technique had slowed down.

"Faster—"

A young constable behind roared, his figure surging forward to close the distance with the assassin.

As luck would have it, the assassin, having run out of options, charged straight toward the rooftop where Chen Wu was hiding!